Bill > H3126

This bill aims to address the expungement of records for individuals who have been falsely accused of crimes and juveniles. It has the following key provisions: 1. The court shall order the immediate expungement of records maintained by various agencies, including the department of criminal justice information services, probation department, and sex offender registry, for individuals who have been falsely accused due to errors in identification, intentionally false statements, or negligence by the police and court staff. This includes expungement of arrest records, district attorneys' files, and other related records. 2. The bill also allows for the sealing of criminal records for individuals who were adjudicated as youthful offenders, provided certain conditions are met, such as no further criminal offenses within the past five years. Once sealed, these records cannot be used against the individual in employment applications or court proceedings. 3. The bill further mandates the automatic expungement of sealed youthful offender records after five years or ten years from the individual's 18th birthday if they did not petition for sealing. This ensures the permanent removal of these records from the relevant agencies' files. The overall goal of this bill is to provide a mechanism for individuals who have been falsely accused or were involved in the juvenile justice system to have their records expunged or sealed, allowing them to move forward without the burden of these past incidents affecting their future employment and other opportunities.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3126